Being into world level, and national rallying since the mid '70s (despite owning about as different from a rally car as is possible, '00 LS1 Z28 manual from new, for a lot of that time), and being decidedly
NOT a 'JDM fan' at all, I knew that when Ford did a special edition hot hatch, it was WAY MORE than "just a Ford".
When the Camaro dropped a lifter after 225K miles of being my only car, and daily abuse, I decided to sell it as is, and put that coin towards something else instead of trying to find, and install an LS6 replacement, which given my lack of equipment, and facilities would have run me upwards of $8K to accomplish with labor charges for a 15 year old, very high mileage ride (that is IF one could even find an LS6 for ANY price, given their insane demand as swap power plants into EVERYTHING!!).
That this is the very first time that we in the U.S. could buy a body style car the same as what the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team (and even going back long before that to the Ford Boreham-based WRT, and the long list of Escort RSes we were NEVER allowed to have!) is basing it's WRC monsters on (besides the earlier first gen Foci of course), and in a hotter version than the base car to boot, it made me
have to own one!
The interior does not bother me at all, like it really seems to everyone else, as don't most of the other little things everyone complains about, but yes, the rust/paint thing does.
The only thing I don't like otherwise is there was no option for a limited slip right from the factory (since it will now co$t me ~$3200.00 to do), and no 2 door option like the Brits/Euros/rest of world get.